How is tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) used to treat brain attack?
For a number of years, t-PA (Activase® Alteplase) has been used in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of t-PA to reestablish blood supply to tissue damaged in an acute ischemic stroke. In the United States, a two-part double-blind placebo controlled trial conducted by the NINDS has provided a framework for patient selection and treatment protocols for brain attack. Part I of the NINDS trial compared neurological outcomes at 24 hours among patients given t-PA with the outcomes of a placebo group. Patients in the study group were given t-PA within three hours after the onset of symptoms. Part II assessed patient outcomes three months after treatment with t-PA. The study found no significant neurological improvement in 24 hours among patients who received t-PA as compared with the placebo group. However, at three months, patients in the t-PA group were at least 30 percent more likely than those in the placebo grou
For a number of years, t-PA (Activase® Alteplase) has been used in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of t-PA to reestablish blood supply to tissue damaged in an acute ischemic stroke. In the United States, a two-part double-blind placebo controlled trial conducted by the NINDS has provided a framework for patient selection and treatment protocols for brain attack. Part I of the NINDS trial compared neurological outcomes at 24 hours among patients given t-PA with the outcomes of a placebo group. Patients in the study group were given t-PA within three hours after the onset of symptoms. Part II assessed patient outcomes three months after treatment with t-PA. The study found no significant neurological improvement in 24 hours among patients who received t-PA as compared with the placebo group. However, at three months, patients in the t-PA group were at least 30 percent more likely than those in the placebo grou
